Preserving Kodiak's Maritime Heritage
Exhibits
As Kodiak's newest museum, our current "museum without walls" encompasses several exhibits throughout the community.
Celebrating Our Maritime Heritage: A Kodiak Waterfront Exhibit
Historic Kodiak Harbor dates back to 1792, one of the oldest harbors in the United States.
Each summer the salmon return, triggering a profound chain reaction of energy throughout the Kodiak Island archipelago.
The frozen sea spray burns like tiny daggers stabbing any exposed skin. Squalls can cake ice inches thick on anything on deck, causing a vessel to flip from the top-heavy weight. The answer is simple. You just have to pound it off with sledge hammers or baseball bats. And all this from decks like skating rinks and a boat swaying in towering seas.
KMM’s first outdoor exhibit, Celebrating our Maritime Heritage, is a series of interpretive panels that overlooks St. Paul Harbor. With full color illustrations, the panels illustrate Kodiak’s intrinsic bond with the sea — the boats, the species of fish harvested, the fishing families and seafood processors who add to the bustle of Kodiak’s working waterfront.
"Visitors, who naturally migrate to the waterfront, thoroughly enjoy the harbor panels. Now, as they watch the activity on the docks, visitors have a better idea of what they are seeing and what an important role the waterfront plays in our community. It's a value-added experience for the Kodiak visitor, if you will."
— Pam Foreman, executive director, Kodiak Island Convention and Visitors Bureau
The panels pay tribute as well to the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard who are “Always There … Always Ready” to help mariners working at sea and to the teams of fisheries biologists who manage the fisheries to ensure that Alaska’s rich and diverse fish stocks remain healthy and prolific.